EMDR Therapy and Trauma-Informed Counseling Interview with Paul Krauss, MA, LPC
In this video interview:
Dr. Karthik Ramanan and Paul Krauss MA LPC talk about EMDR Therapy and Trauma-Informed Counseling. Paul has made it his mission to bring trauma-informed counseling practices to Grand Rapids, Michigan after noticing a lack of this therapy modality in West Michigan. Many larger hospitals in the area lack the education and training needed for a trauma-informed staff that operates on a paradigm that understands trauma and treats the root cause. Paul discusses how he witnessed effective trauma-informed therapies such as EMDR therapy while living in other areas of the country. That is when he decided that The Trauma Informed Counseling Center of Grand Rapids would be a great addition to the Health For Life Grand Rapids clinic.
EMDR Therapy is also something that Dr. K and Paul Krauss MA LPC talk about in this youtube interview. People often search for symptom relief to feel different in their body and mind. EMDR Therapy happens to focus on the healing of the entire body; from physical to emotional, to mental healing. Every person has diverse experiences stored in long-term memory and later on those experiences may have an effect on their emotional health. Many experiences that are stored in the subconscious, can emerge in our behaviors or thoughts, often leaving us feeling as though something is wrong with us (or worse). Dr. K discusses that we can start taking responsibility for things that are not our fault and this can lead to worsening symptoms and self-esteem. EMDR Therapy helps to identify those experiences, process them, work out triggers, and helps an individual to feel more present and keep the past in the past.
As a client, Paul discusses that “you are in control” when it comes to EMDR Therapy and, further, all the ways EMDR therapy can help you. Your brain wants to heal, but it needs the guidance to reprocess memories and experiences so that they are in alignment with reality and the truth about who you are as a person. In EMDR Therapy your body works to process past wounds and experiences through interventions in the sessions. By giving your body and mind the right environment to heal, your body will soon begin to get into balance with your mind and emotions.
In this interview, Dr. K and Paul Krauss MA LPC also discuss The Trauma Informed Counseling Center of Grand Rapids. Trauma-informed counseling takes your average counseling session and turns its focus on trauma. When the nervous system is impacted during trauma, people tend to overcompensate, even when the threat is no longer there. Understanding the science behind trauma will help you to understand the body, the mind, and physical reactions. Brain research and the studies behind EMDR Therapy allow the mind to reduce the self-blame and realize that there are other reasons for what is happening and why you feel the way you do. This is not just an exercise in logic–this is an experience through the therapy.
As Dr. K says, when you start accepting yourself as who you are and where you are, the healing begins. It is important to accept and allow some things to just be. There are people who want to help you and who are willing to help you. We all have blind spots what we have trouble seeing on our own that we need help from others to be able to see the whole picture.
Watch the full interview with Paul Krauss MA LPC and Dr. Karthik Ramanan here:
Check out Episode 28 of the Intentional Clinician Podcast where Paul interviews Dr. K here.
Connect with Health For Life GR on our website where you can learn more about the clinicians, or follow us on Instagram and Facebook for fun updates and more blogs. You can learn more about The Trauma Informed Counseling Center of Grand Rapids here on our website. Or connect with an EMDR Therapist in Grand Rapids here.
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